


Dreamers and Do-ers

by fertileleaf



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Big Brothers, Crossover, Daminette, F/M, Fluff, Gen, I Ship It, MariBat, Miraculous AU, No Beta, Slow Burn, damienette, slight salt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-29
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22458685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fertileleaf/pseuds/fertileleaf
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng would be considered a dreamer to those that don't know her, based on her past. But to those that do, she is a do-er and will do anything to get stuff done.Damian Wayne is a do-er,always has been, probably always will be.With Marinette's successful career, ignorant classmates and an proud uncle willing to do anything, how will she handle a blunt Damian, his enthusiastic siblings and both of their less than legal activities?
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Kagami Tsurugi, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne
Comments: 101
Kudos: 1072





	1. who's who

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on what i've read, Marinette's birthday is July 9th so she'll have just turn 17 at this point.  
> Damian will be 17 turning 18 in december as his birthday isn't specified, but it'll make sense for this fic.  
> Tim will be 23, Jason will be 25 and Dick will be 28.

There are dreamers and there are do-ers in everyone’s life and you have to decide which you want to be. Dreamers are the kind who look with rose-colored glasses and hope their dreams come true and don’t put in work to achieve them. Do-ers will do anything to achieve their dreams and take steps to work towards it no matter what.

Damian Wayne, an assassin turned vigilante with the help of his father and adopted family, is what you’d call a do-er. He faced many struggles throughout his childhood. The harshness his mother and grandfather gave him as he strove to reach perfection for them, reaching what some would call unattainable goals set by others, the bitterness of knowing he wasn’t enough and wasn’t loved, the abandonment he felt as he was dropped off at a man’s house who he’d never met, and the jealousy and anger towards his brothers for them having the legacy that should’ve been his by birthright as the true heir of his father. Damien strove to be better; a better him, a better son and a better brother when he realized it wasn’t their fault for not knowing about him and his ticks.

Damian, still known as the ice-prince throughout Gotham, was cold to those he didn’t respect or who he didn’t consider family. He reached some of his goals in time; become robin, make his father and family proud, follow his father’s rules when dealing with others and become someone to respect.

At the young age of 18, Damian still struggled when dealing with others, but who doesn’t when they’re the son of a billionaire with limited social skills. He had to figure out who was his friend to actually be his friend and who just wanted something from him. He learned to be cold and blunt to the point of being rude to deter people away. Many things he did confused people, including his family, but those who knew him couldn’t fault him. Though that didn’t stop them from messing with him whenever they could.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a teenager turned hero with the help of a god-like entity and magic jewelry, was also a do-er but could also be considered a dreamer to those who didn’t see the complete her. She struggled in her teenage years. The immense amount of freedom her parents gave her, the bullying from classmates, the ignorance from those considered authority figures, the stress of an unrequited love, and the reality that others would abuse her kindness and helpfulness for personal gain. Marinette strove to help others, start a business, save her city and make others as happy as they could be.

Marinette, known as the everyday ladybug to those who still trusted her, was still as sweet as sugar to everyone she met, even those who wronged her. However, like all those that have too much sugar, she could fight back without you realizing until too late. She reached a couple of her goals; she started a fashion business under the moniker “MDC”, became a great hero and found a way to help others in a substantial way.

At the age of 17, Marinette struggled under the weight of the expectations placed upon her by others; her parents, her classmates and her teachers all included. Not to mention, the entire city and her partner, not that they actually realized it was her they were doing it to. Her classmates, no longer her friends, still kept her as the class president as she knew what they wanted and knew how to get it done efficiently. She was only included because they needed something, otherwise she was ignored by all, all thanks to a student who came years ago to ruin her reputation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first attempt at publishing any of my works, please let me know of any mistakes!!


	2. The Recommendation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on what i've read, Marinette's birthday is July 9th so she'll have just turned 17 at this point.  
> Damian will be 17 turning 18 in december as his birthday isn't specified, but it'll make sense for this fic.  
> Tim will be 23, Jason will be 25 and Dick will be 28.

At 17 years old, Marinette was already an established designer. She mostly works with her honorary uncle Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, her friends Luka, Kagami and surprisingly Chloe. However, sometimes she gets commissioned through her website or through recommendations. Which brought her to this point.

“I’m sorry you recommended me to who,” yelled Marinette towards someone she loved immensely, although he drove her insane.

Jagged Stone had the good graces to look sheepish, though only for a brief few seconds. “C’mon Little M! This is a good thing. Bruce is a dear friend of mine who asked me where I’ve been getting my rockin’ new clothes. Of course I told him about my amazing niece!”

Marinette started pacing around his suite at the Grand Paris hotel, freaking out. She ran her hands through her wavy midnight hair panicking. “Bruce Wayne. Bruce freaking Wayne, Jagged! Like multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne? Why would he want me?”

“Hey, calm down Mari. You’re a great designer, why wouldn’t he want to meet with you? Bruce doesn’t really care about all that name stuff anyway. He’s always giving people opportunities to make their own name, he’s not like you’re thinking,” Penny Rolling said as she watched the young designer. She handed Marinette a sleek looking black card. “He’ll be coming in a couple weeks to check on the Paris branch of Wayne Enterprises and would love to meet with you then. Here’s his card so you can contact him and set up a consultation. Please don’t think too much on this. This’ll be great for you to expand your business.”

“Okay… Okay, okay… Okay. I can do this. No big deal, just one of the most influential people in the world wants my designs. This’ll be fine.”

Marinette slowly came back to earth. Her mind already in overdrive, thinking about what he wanted, or at least what she thought he wanted. Sleek black suits, semi-formal jackets, maybe a blazer. Based on what she knew he looked like she guessed what colors would complement him best, what styles cuts were most flattering for his build, and what fabric he wouldn’t hate. Would he like embroidery? Maybe something subtle but enough to stand out. She sat next to Fang on the floor, leaning against the crocodile slightly.

Penny and Jagged looked to each other in concern. “You okay, M,” Jagged asked.

“Yeah, just thinking. I can do this, freak out over… For now, at least anyway.” Marinette said looking at the card.

**BRUCE WAYNE**

**CEO WAYNE ENTERPRISE**

**Bruce.Wayne@email.WE.com**

**XXX-XXX-XXXX**

“When do you think I should email him? That’s better than disturbing him with the time difference right,” Marinette looked towards Penny.

“Go ahead and do it now, we can look it over that way if you’re not confident enough to immediately send it,” Penny said looking at her tablet and letting Marinette make the decision herself.

Mari pulled out her own tablet from her cross body bag. The one that contained all her designing tools she brought with her to all consultations, especially with Jagged Stone as he always had an idea to bounce off her. She added Bruce Wayne’s contact information to her business email to make correspondence easier with the man. She pulled up a fresh email and just stared blankly at the screen. _How in the world am I supposed to start this? Should I go semi-formal with my words, or casual? I mean obviously professional, but how do I not sound stupid?_ Tikki seemed to know when she was panicking again as she tapped her on Marinette’s thigh through the bag she sat in. Marinette took in a deep breath and started to type away on the screen to one of the most influential men in the world.

**To: Bruce Wayne**

**From: MDC@email.MDCDesigns.com**

**Subject: Consultation**

**Mr. Wayne,**

**This is MDC. Jagged Stone said he recommended me to you to design for an upcoming event. Thank you for considering me for the opportunity to design for you. He told me you would be coming to Paris in the coming weeks, please inform me of when and where you would like to meet to discuss our arrangement. Right now, my schedule is clear as it is summer break.**

**Attached is a list of types of premade designs and my website is mdcdesigns.com if you’re looking for the quality of my work.**

**Please let me know at your earliest convenience when we can book an appointment.**

**Thank you,**

**MDC**

Marinette hovered her finger over the send button, rereading the email. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she presses the screen and sends the email out into hyperspace. “There, sent. It’s now out of my hands if he responds or not,” Mari breathed. Looking at her tablet she brings up the reason she actually came over for. “As you asked for, here’s the formal designs for the suit. I’m thinking a matte black jacket and pants with purple silk lapels and purple silk lines down the sides of the legs. A black mesh button-up with gold sequined swirls on the front and back with billowy pirate sleeves for Jagged. For you, Penny, I’m thinking a gold knee length slinky dress with a slight slit in the back coming up for movement. What do you think about a ‘v’ neckline with over the shoulder straps?”

Penny grabbed the tablet looking between the two designs, nodding slightly while Jagged looks stunned at the intricacy of the shirt design. “Looks great Mari! We should be by to pick them up the end of November, okay? November 29th after you get out of school sound okay?”

“Sounds great! Yeah no problem, they’ll be done,” Marinette said as she grabbed the tablet back, writing a couple extra notes down before she forgot them. She packed everything away, said goodbye and made her way home. Avoiding the main roads near the school as much as she could to avoid another confrontation or drama that would be sure to unfold. 

About a street over from the bakery, she felt the ground rumble and heard people's screams. She ducked into an empty alleyway looking into her bag at Tikki. "You ready for this Tik?" At the kwami's nod of assurance she yelled, "Tikki, Spots on!"


	3. The Akuma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dogs dumped water all over my laptop last night when I was going to post, so here's a rewrite. It's shorter than i wanted but it's not terribly short. Hope you like it!

Marinette was engulfed in the pink hue of transformation magic and now stood in an armored black spandex suit with red cutouts with black spots on her torso, waist, forearms and up to her knees. Her weapon of choice, still a yo-yo, that seemed to have endless possibilities to it. Her bags stashed behind a semi clean wooden pallet for safe keeping. Marinette, now dubbed Ladybug, flung her yo-yo on top of one of the buildings surrounding her to boost her up to the roof. She watched as civilians raced away from three streets over. Hopping from rooftop to rooftop, she kneeled down at her destination and watched. Learning the ticks of this new Akuma without him knowing. 

He was about 6 meters tall, dressed in a gaudy green, yellow and purple jester costume with a two-faced scepter. The scepter had the classic theatrical happy face and a sad face sculpture on top instead of a bauble. Every time he saw someone he would ask a question and blast a colored light at them, creating different reactions with each light. The green light seemed to make them uncontrollably cry, purple would make them hysterically laugh and yellow seemed to absorb their emotions making him more powerful and them seem depressed. 

“Well bugaboo, let’s see if we can make him dance a jig,” Chat Noir said as he crept up beside her, late as he usually is nowadays. 

“Wait! Don’t just… Dammit,” Ladybug trailed off as he quickly jumped away, doing what was possibly the worst thing. She tried to come up with a plan, standing in view if he looked up. 

“I AM THEATRICX! I will make everyone truly feel the emotions of real acting! Chat Noir! Give me your miraculous and I’ll spare you,” Theatricx yelled out seeing the black cat in tight leather spandex. He held up the scepter taking aim towards the hero, starting to shoot out the lights at Chat’s refusal. “Then I’ll make you, one way or another!” 

Ladybug leaped off of the roof throwing her yo-yo and winding it around the Akuma. Theatricx quickly got out of the strings that tried to contain him, screaming at the heroes. “Not today, Buddy. Why don’t you just quit your rampage? It doesn’t solve anything!”

“No one understands the talent that is needed for the theater! I will make all understand!” He yelled out, throwing the heroine into a car down the street. Chat Noir ran to try and catch her, but she still smashed into the car. 

Ladybug stood back up, slightly dazed from the impact. Shaking her head, she threw up her yo-yo calling for a lucky charm. “What am I supposed to do with this,” she asked as a wall mirror fell back into her hands. Theatricx still yelling and thundering down the road, shooting the colored beams at people running around.  _ Why are there still people here? They know how dangerous it is. Dammit, there’s Alya again. Doesn’t she know better by now, it’s been 5 years since this shit started.  _

Ladybug ran in front of Alya, blocking the beam with the mirror. The yellow beam hit the building, crumbling and destroying the corner because of the angle. “Alya! What the hell is wrong with you? Get out of here, it isn’t safe!”

“C’mon Ladybug! I have to get it for my blog! Lila said she could get an interview but you’ve never shown up,” Ayla cried holding up her phone, livestreaming the whole event. Ladybug still using the mirror to help dodge the beams. 

“Ayla. I’m going to say this slowly. I. Don’t. Know. A. Lila. Now get out of here before I make you.” Ayla ran off, but hid around the corner still videoing the whole fight. Ladybug sighed, hoping she would stay put. “Chat! Catch!” She yelled throwing the mirror to him, then threw the yo-yo at the Akuma, knowing he’d follow her request. 

Theatricx yelled shooting the beam towards Chat Noir as he bounded forward. Ladybug caught him by surprise, wrapping the string around the top of the scepter and pulling hard. The scepter flew out of his hand and into hers. She smashed it making a black possessed butterfly come out. 

“No more evil doing for you little Akuma,” she yelled tossing her yo-yo up to catch it in its healing light and releasing a now white butterfly. “Bye bye little butterfly.” Watching it fly away she made a note of the direction it went for her map in her room. 

“Pound it!” Both Chat Noir and Ladybug said bumping fists. 

“So m’Lady. What do you say about a celebratory dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower tonight at 8,” Chat flirtatiously asked leaning on his baton. 

“Sorry Chat. No can do. Also no patrol tonight, I think we’re good for once,” Ladybug responded deadpan. “Bug out!”

“C’mon! One dinner!” He yelled after her. 

Ladybug raced back to the alleyway containing her bags, letting her transformation drop and catching Tikki almost simultaneously. Marinette pulled out a cookie from her small modified black bag decorated with a small design of pink apple blossoms. Tikki gratefully chomped on the treat, floating back into the little bag. Marinette double checked for everything in her designated design bag, wanting to make sure everything was there and nothing was missing. 

Mari went back to sneaking toward the house not in the mood to deal with anyone at the moment. Going through the side entrance and up the stairs to the apartment, she collapsed on the couch in the living room for a few minutes. 

Grabbing a few cookies for herself and Tikki and made a light lunch for herself, she meandered up the stairs to her bedroom. Grabbing her bags along the way as she made a second trip for them. Plopping at her desk she brought out a sketch pad and her tablet. 

“Eat first Mari. Then you can design. But you didn’t eat a lot for breakfast this morning or any snacks,” Tikki suggested. 

Marinette pouted slightly having a new design in mind already. “Okay Tik.” Mari went about eating slowly, thinking hard. “Tikki? Why do you think Chat still won’t leave me alone? I mean I know he thinks we’re soulmates and everything because of the whole creation-destruction thing. But soulmates can be platonic too. You know? And I’m always telling him no, so why?”

Tikki flew over to her holder, making sure to be eye level with the young adult. “You don’t take responsibility for him. It’s sexual assault for not accepting your answer and harrassment for asking still.”

“What can I do to make him stop that I haven’t already?”

Tikki slowly lowered herself to the desk, “We’ll talk with Master Fu when we see him next. We’ll figure it out Mari. Promise.”


	4. The Correspondence

Talking with Tikki help to set her mind a little more at ease. She finished her lunch and set the plate to the side. Pulling out her sketch pad, she wanted to get some new casual looks drawn up so she could add them to her site after production.  _ Maybe a couple of sweaters, simple shirts with some sort of design, or maybe a dress or two. Men’s shorts would be good. Haven’t done a design for those yet.  _ She thought to herself tapping a soft leaded pencil against her chin. 

She started sketching and outline of a men’s relaxed fit turtleneck sweater. Fitted enough to give the body shape but not tight enough to make the wearer uncomfortable. She would knit this, it may take longer to get it right but the look would be worth it. She drew a female counterpart for this as well, she could also very easily make it a cropped sweater to the wearers desired length. 

Since it’s summertime, she chose to make shorts. Both for males and females to wear and match if desired. The overall designs were simple yet timeless. Mid thigh and knee length for boys. The real stand out factor would be the fabric used. Something sturdy but easy to move in. She had some patterned fabric in mind for this. For girls the shorts went a couple inches below the groin. Not super short where everything showed, but short enough to elongate the legs. She also made a design for a pair of overall shorts for girls. Same length of the shorts. She wrote a note that the overalls would be a jean type fabric and the butt pockets and the singular chest pocket would be made from a patterned fabric. The shorts would be made of the same fabric as the males and if chosen for something simple like jean, there would be the patterned pocket option if wanted. It took her until 8 pm to get all the revisions done until she was satisfied with the total look of each pair. 

She decided to take a brief break and check both her personal email account and her business one. Her personal was filled up with spam and the usual updates from her social media accounts. She responded to a few updates from her friends Kagami and Luka with their travels across Europe and Chloe’s pictures from her time in New York with her mom. Her business email had orders from her website that could easily be done and shipped by next week as she has the bases done for each, just needing the personalization each wanted for it. Scrolling down further, she almost fell out of her chair. Bruce Wayne had responded. 

“Hey Tikki. Am I hallucinating,” Mari asked with wide eyed looking at the screen. 

Tikki just looked at her holder, “um… I don’t know. What do you see?” Tikki flew off of her little resting pillow on the desk in front of the computer to look at the screen. “Oh Marinette this is fantastic! Hurry open it! Open it!”

**To:MDC DESIGNS**

**From: Bruce Wayne**

**Subject: RE: Consultation**

**MDC,**

**Hello. Thank you for reaching out to me.**

**I will be arriving in Paris on the 28th. Could we meet on the 1st of August at 10:00 am?**

**I know you value your privacy. We can meet at my office at Wayne Enterprise or if you have a place you feel more comfortable that will be fine. All my employees sign NDAs when they take the job and know the repercussions of breaking each contract.**

**I hope to hear from you soon.**

**Bruce Wayne**

**_CEO Wayne Enterprise_ **

  
  


“Tikki. He actually wants to commission me for something,” Marinette said still in a semi state of shock. 

“Of course he does! You’re a creation soul after all, plus super talented if I do say so myself.” Tikki rested on the pillow, still looking at her holder with her big blue eyes. “Well… are you going to accept that time frame? You’ll have to tell him your name to make an appointment at his office.”

Marinette focused on the desk. “I think… I think that’d be okay. He did say they sign NDAs and I’ll bring some copies of mine just in case. That should be okay.” Mari hit reply to respond 

**To: Bruce Wayne**

**From: MDC DESIGNS**

**Subject: RE:RE: Consultation**

**Monsieur Wayne,**

**Bonjour.**

**I’m fine with meeting at your office at 10 on the 1st of August.**

**However, I will be bringing my own NDAs as a precaution, not that I don’t trust your employees or you. This is for my own sanity and peace of mind.**

**Attached is a copy for you. I understand you will need my name for the appointment. Before I give it, I will need you to sign and return it to me as a matter of trust and safety.**

**Merci.**

**MDC**

And it’s sent halfway across the world in a matter of seconds, awaiting one of the most influential men in the world’s gaze. She keeps her business email pulled up as she takes the final designs and uploads them onto her tablet for fine tuning on the details and to make sure she has multiple copies just in case. It takes less than 20 minutes to upload everything and file them correctly. In that time she got one more order, this one from someone named Tim Drake for one of her simple black hoodies lined with red trim and stitched red thread. She responded with a quick thank you and that she would send a tracking number as soon as it went out. She quickly boxed the size he asked for and wrote the address down on the box. Inside the box, on top of the hoodie, she added a small note thanking them and that she hoped they had a miraculous day. 

“Tikki, can you remind me to go to the post office tomorrow?” At her nod is assurance she looked back up as she got another ding, indicating a notification. “Holy shit.”

**To: MDC DESIGNS**

**From: Bruce Wayne**

**Subject: RE: RE: RE: Consultation**

**MDC,**

**I understand. Attached is the signed and dated copy of the NDA.**

**Let me know if you have any questions for me.**

**Bruce Wanye**

**_CEO Wayne Enterprise_ **

“Tikki, he actually did it. He signed it without any fuss like some of my other clients. That’s amazing,” Marinette said in wide eyed wonder. Marinette hit reply to pull up an empty email to continue the correspondence. “Okay. I can do this. It’s just my name and he signed papers.”

**To: Bruce Wayne**

**From: MDC DESIGNS**

**Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Consultation**

**Monsieur Wayne,**

**I appreciate the quick reply.**

**My name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m sure you will look me up. I promise I am extremely skilled in my field regardless of my age and will hold the utmost professionalism when we meet.**

**There is an issue I would like to discuss.**

**I don’t know if you know of the current villain issue here in Paris. Currently we are under a domestic terrorist under the name of Hawkmoth who engages in emotional warfare. With having an appointment at 10, are you willing to be flexible in scheduling if there is an attack? Our heroes are able to return everything back to before the attack so damage is minimal. However, time will not be replaced and we will need to make another appointment if needed. How long will you be in Paris for, just in case it is needed?**

**Merci,**

**Marinette Dupain-Cheng**

**_Creator of MDC DESIGNS_ **

  
  


She hit send and hoped for the best, the best being he still wanted to work with her regardless of her age.

“Mari! Time for dinner,” her Maman, Sabine, yelled up to her from the first floor of the apartment.

“Coming Maman!” Marinette closed everything down after double checking the saves and went down stairs, promising to bring something up for Tikki.

“Hello hun, set the table for me really quick,” Sabine said finishing up dinner and bringing it to the table. 

Marinette quickly set the table and washed up before sitting in her designated spot next to her Papa, Tom. 

“Didn’t see you come in Mari, when did you come home,” Tom questioned as they filled their plates. 

“Oh, right after the Akuma attack. Uncle jagged and Penny say hello by the way and they really enjoyed the chocolate and raspberry macarons,” Mari replied after swallowing her food. “You’ll never guess who is commissioning me!”

Tom and Sabine looked at their daughter who was practically vibrating in her seat. “Who,” they asked in tandem. 

“Okay you can’t tell anyone! But BRUCE WAYNE!!” Marinette was beaming as she told her parents who erupted in cheers at the news. 

“That’s wonderful news hun!” Sabine was so proud of her daughter and her talent. 

They finished dinner discussing the plans for tomorrow in the bakery and Mari’s business. Mari rushes back upstairs to shower and change into more comfortable clothes. Checking her business email once more, knowing Monsieur Wayne was probably still at work because of the time difference. 

**To: MDC Designs**

**FROM: Bruce Wayne**

**Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Consultation**

**Miss MDC,**

**I know many young people running a business, my sons included. Age means nothing if there’s no passion and desire to do good and get better. I don’t doubt you will uphold professionalism, your correspondence and paperwork shows it.**

**I’m afraid I’ve never heard of Hawkmoth before. However I have no problem being flexible with you, as I’m used to it with the villains in Gotham interrupting business. I will be in Paris for 2 weeks.**

**I look forward to meeting with you.**

**Bruce Wayne**

**_CEO Wayne Enterprise_ **

The next two weeks were busy. Marinette was using her time before the big meeting taking commissions and sending out orders, babysitting, working on summer projects for classes and helping her parents out in the bakery all while saving the city from Akuma attacks. 


	5. The Big Meeting

Marinette’s alarm rang throughout her room at 7 am on August the 1st. The day of the big meeting with Bruce Wayne. She ran downstairs and ate a quick breakfast that consisted of a small fruit bowl of fruit and a chocolate croissant. She quickly went back upstairs and took a shower avoiding washing her hair to save time while getting ready. She got dressed in a pair of fitted black jeans that hugged the curve of her waist a red halter top and a black leather jacket. For shoes she decided to wear a pair of red vans channeling Ladybug with her color scheme for confidence in the meeting. She wore her hair in a half up half down hairstyle that now tumbled down to her mid back in loose waves. She decided on simple makeup that consisted of winged eyeliner mascara a little bit of concealer and a tinted pink lip balm. She made sure her bags were packed before leaving. One being her designing satchel filled with sketchbooks and her tablet the other being a small purse filled with a couple cookies, her phone, IDs and a place for Tikki to rest. By the time she was finished getting ready it was now close to 9 am and she decided to start making her way towards Wayne Enterprise. 

She walked towards Wayne enterprise with a determined face, thinking about what Monsieur Wayne would want designed and commissioned from her. She arrived outside of the wind enterprise skyscraper 30 minutes later and just stared at the intimidating building. She did a quick sketch of a suit with sleek lines and a tapered waist. She decided that the colors would be a light steel gray with a matching vest and pants. She decided that the pants would be a slim fit holding close to the legs of the wearer. She wrote all these notes in the margins of her design and quickly rushed into the building. She went up to the receptionist and told them that she had a meeting with Monsieur Wayne under the name Marinette Dupain-Cheng at 10 AM and showed them her ID with the corresponding information. She was told to head up to the eighth floor and his secretary would let him know that she had arrived. The secretary told her to take a seat and wait on one of the couches in front of her desk and that he would come out soon to meet with her. She decided to do a little bit more detailing on the suit inspired by the Wayne Enterprise building. 

“That’s very good Miss Dupain-Cheng,” said a masculine voice from over my shoulder.

Marinette jumped closing her sketchbook and stood, turning around to face the voice. She looked at the tall muscular man in front of her. He had to have stood at at least 6 feet with broad shoulders, dressed in a black suit that flattered his frame.

“It’s nice to meet you Miss Dupain-Cheng, I’m Bruce Wayne,” he introduced to her. 

“Good morning Monsieur. You can just call me Marinette. It’s nice to meet you as well,” she replied, shaking the hand he held out towards her. 

“Follow me into my office and we’ll get started.”

They both walked into the office, Marinette sitting on the chair closest to the door while Bruce walked around the desk and into the chair behind it facing the computers. 

“First off I wanted to say that my sons are really big fans of yours and you had sent a hoodie to my son a few weeks ago and all he talked about until he got it was that you had responded to him. You’re also allowed to tell me if this is too ambitious for you. I know that this is overwhelming and I’m asking for several things done,” Bruce had said with a small smile with his hands clasped on top of the desk. 

Marinette eyes widened and she laid out a small squeak. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing and that she had already designed for one of the most influential families and that they loved her clothing. “Oh. That’s amazing, can you thank them for me?” Marinette sat in amazement for a couple seconds before asking, “what kind of designs were you looking for?”

Bruce sat back in his chair more relaxed, “I would like to have five or six things done for Christmas. Just some jackets that I noticed you had on your website and some sweaters. And then I would like to commission a suit from you for a gala I’m holding at the start of the new year.” 

Marinette brought up her sketchbook to start writing down what he wanted and started a chart for each person he talked about. “Do you have their measurements? That way I can make it for them as I know as a present you don’t want them to find out about it.” 

Bruce Wayne handed her a paper that contained all four of his sons measurements, as well as his own. 

“Can you tell me about your sons? What they like and how they are to help make the design personal. What would you like designed for each of them,” Marinette asked, setting aside the paper and looking at the man sitting in front of her. 

“Richard is my oldest but he goes by Dick, he would like a fun Christmas sweater, something that he could wear several times but still felt like Christmas. And Jason is the second oldest. I was thinking you have that brown suede jacket and that’s really his style. Tim is more into comfort, so hopefully something that he can wear and it’ll help him sleep. Do you have a sweater that has a loose fit and is very slouchy? Damien is the youngest but he’s very into a formal presentation so I was thinking a form fitting black turtleneck sweater and then his birthday is the day before Christmas and I was thinking of the hoodie that you made for Tim a couple weeks ago, if we could do that in a dark green with black trim,” Bruce told marinette as she wrote everything down. “Is that too much or do you think you can do all that?”

Marinette finished writing everything down and looked at the list and details. She sat there thinking for a couple seconds and looked at Bruce Wayne and said that she had no problem finishing these up before Christmas. “I have four out of the five designs already done if you could just look them over and make sure that they look okay. For the sweater for Richard, are you thinking of any certain colors or any words to be on it? You said you also wanted a suit, do you know what kind you were thinking?”

Bruce Wayne sat there looking at her for a few seconds with his hands clasped under his chin, “As you probably know, most of my sons are adopted and I would like something to remind Richard where he came from, of something he’s very proud of. Would you be able to make it a royal blue color and have it say ‘The Flying Graysons’ on it? And I’m actually very curious as to what you think would be a good fit for me with the suit.”

“Yeah I can do that no problem. Is there a certain way you want it done? I’m assuming that’s a family thing with him and I want to get the elements right.”

Bruce pulled up an image on his computer and turned the screen to face her saying that he would email it to her so that she would have it as a reference picture. 

Marinette then looked at him and then turned to the suit she had drawn in her sketchbook earlier that day. She then turned the sketchbook around and handed it to him and said, “I actually like this suit for you. I would just choose it in a dark navy blue and maybe some very subtle embroidery on the lapels. I was thinking about a matching vest with a white shirt, a black tie and black dress shoes. I am assuming it’s going to be cold during the time you want to have your event,” she said looking up waiting for him to acknowledge it. “So I was thinking of a fine wool for the jacket vest and pants. And the shirt and tie would be made from a cotton blend so that it's lightweight and breathable.”

“I really like the style of the suit and it’s flattering and something different and I think this suit would suit me,“ Bruce said with a light laugh. 

Marinette let out a small giggle while her face flushed a light pink color. 

“I do have one more thing I want to talk to you about as well, on top of the creations for my family and myself. I would like to fly you and a friend out to celebrate the new year with us, as guests at the gala. You don’t have to reveal yourself, I would never take that away from you. And you would be able to stay at the manor with my family or I could provide you a hotel room if you’re more comfortable with that. Jagged Stone and his wife, Penny, will be there as well, so you won’t be faced with all the stuffy elites by yourselves,” Bruce jokes, hoping to soften the offer. 

“I’m sorry, you’d like to what?!” Marinette felt like she was going to fall out of her chair in shock. Going to a Wayne gala, no matter the occasion, was a huge deal. To be invited as a guest by Monsieur Wayne himself, with a guest of choice, was insane as a 17 year old. 

Bruce Wayne just looked at her with a smile and reiterated that he was inviting her to the new year‘s gala as a thank you for all the creations and to help her get her brand out there. He really admired her ingeniousness in the different fabrics she used and when he looked into her background he was very shocked to see all the community service projects that she had done on top of her duties in school and with helping her parents in their bakery. 

Marinette still freaking out, “I would love to go I just have to ask my parents if it will be okay, can I get back to you?”

“Of course. I understand, you would be coming across an ocean without ever having been there before. Just let me know and I’ll get your transportation and rooming covered.” 

They hammered out the last minute details for the design elements and what fabrics could be used in personalizations for each design for each of the boys. Even though he had given her a sheet with his measurements on it, she still wanted to double check and get her own just to make sure that they were correct or at least updated. They finished around lunchtime and Bruce paid her consultation fee and half of the price of the designs as she had requested for fabric. He would pay the remaining balance when he received his order, as was the custom for when she did commissions and consultations. 


	6. The Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the later than usual update. My 3 month old got sick and she was my first priority.

At the end of the meeting, Bruce Wayne decided to walk Marinette out of the building and go to lunch. Before they departed he asked her, “as a native Persian, where do you recommend I go for lunch? I’ve been to a lot of tourist restaurants but I would like something a little more authentic.”

Marinette responded, “ I think that depends on what kind of food you’re wanting. I know a couple bistro’s that are really good and then there is a restaurant that has a French take on American food, if you’re interested in that.“ 

“I’ll try one of those bistro’s. Also if you need me to talk with your parents, just so that they have met me and decide based on that you just need to send me an email.”

“Oh. Thank you Monsieur Wayne. The bistro closest to here would be  _ Boucherie Rouliére _ . It’s actually one of my family’s favorites.”

“Remember to contact me if you need anything and you can email me at any time and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. I’d love to keep in contact during my time here on the commissions,” Bruce said. “And thank you for the recommendation for lunch.”

“No problem Monsieur Wayne. I’ll keep you updated on the jackets and your suit. Um… also thank you for the offer for the gala… I'll talk to my parents about it and I'll let you know. What they say.”

They walked in different directions towards different locations. Bruce Wayne towards the bistro for a quick lunch and Marinette towards the bank to deposit the money she had been given. After taking what felt like hours at the bank, she decided to head towards the fabric shop to pick up for fabric and thread to get everything started. Or at least parts of it. She got more brown leather for Jason’s jacket, dark green and black for Damian’s hoodie and a soft cashmere for the sweater for Tim. She also picked up navy blue wool and white wool to knit the sweater for Richard and a soft black cashmere for the turtleneck for Damian. She would come back for the fabric for the suit at a later time, she was struggling enough as it was to carry everything the couple blocks back home anyway. 

She quickly walked into the bakery, saying ‘hi’ to all the regulars as she passed by them. “Hi, Maman,” she said, greeting Sabine kissing her cheeks as she went to the door to go up to the apartment.

“Hello Hun. Wait! hold on,” Sabine said looking over her daughter covered in bags. “Well, aren’t you going to say how it went? I assume well if this is what you look like coming back from this meeting. TOM, COME OUT HERE PLEASE,” she yelled back into the kitchen area. 

Tom came out of the back in a flour covered apron looking at his wife expectantly. Sabine pointed towards their daughter who had an exasperated look on her face and had dropped the bulky bags of fabric onto the floor. “Yes dear? OH! Mari how’d it go?”

Mari blushes under the attention. “Um… it went really well. Apparently his sons are really big fans and he wanted to commission some Christmas gifts…” Mari trails off. 

Sabine just looks at her daughter knowing there’s something else. “Alright out with it! What else?”

“HE WANTS ME TO MAKE A SUIT FOR HIM!!!” Mari squeals and yells out, startling some of the patrons who aren’t used to her antics. 

Both Tom and Sabine rush to hug their daughter, yelling out their congratulations and the shop erupts into cheers knowing how Mari loves and cherishes every commission she was asked to do. Them knowing that making a suit, doesn’t matter who it was for, was a huge deal. 

“That’s so amazing hun! We’ll have to go out to dinner to celebrate!”

“There’s something else...but that can wait until later. When we’re alone.” Marinette said wringing her hands together. 

“Alright, how about you talk with your Papa during lunch while I’m down here. Unless you’d rather talk with us together tonight at dinner,” Sabine questioned her daughter. Sabine wondered what was so important and so secretive that she couldn’t ask here. 

“Ummm… I’d rather talk with you two together if that’s okay.”

“Of course. Pick a place you want to go tonight,” Sabine gently ordered, seeing that her daughter now looked stressed. 

“Alright Maman. I’m going to put my fabrics away and start lunch.” 

Marinette gathered up what seemed like hundreds of bags and quickly shoved open the door to rush up the stairs. After tripping and almost falling several times because of the weight she was carrying, she ended up in her room out of breath. Gently placing the bags down by the sewing machine, she organized them by the difficulty of each project piece. Ranging from most time consuming and most difficult fabric to the quickest designs and easiest to work with. Next she took out her sketchbook and placed it on the desk along with her tablet. 

“Tikki, I’ll bring you some cookies. What kind would you like,” Marinette asked the little goddess.

Tikki floated out of the little black purse and up to her chosen’s face, “Whatever you choose will be fine Mari.”

“Okay, I’ll see what I can do and if anything we can make some together. How about that?” 

“That’d be super! Oh, I’d love that. I love baking with you.” Tikki flew around, flipping through the air as Marinette laughed.

“Alright, alright. We can bake together Tik.”

Marinette double checked that everything was in place and then headed down to the kitchen to eat with her Papa. She wanted to make something simple but filling. She took out the ingredients for a tomato and basil bisque and started to throw everything into a pot. Once it started simmering she took out some sliced French bread and cheddar, Muenster and Monterey Jack cheese for some grilled cheese. She heated the pan and threw some butter in once it was heated. She buttered one side of each bread and put mayonnaise on the other side and placed the bread on the pan. Once one side was browned she flipped each slice and started placing multiple slices of cheese on the bread. Feeling the gaze of her Papa, she turned to look at him. 

They just looked at each other until Marinette decided to break the silence, “yes, Papa?”

Tom was silent a few more seconds, “you’ve just grown up so much. It’s like one day you were just a little girl and now you’re running your own business and pretty much an adult.”

As much as Marinette adores her parents, there were times she felt bitter in their neglect. Not that it was completely their fault, running a business was hard work. But the point of having parents was to have someone there for you, and they weren’t always there.  _ Makes being Ladybug easier I suppose.  _

“Yeah I guess so,” Marinette signed leaning back against the counter. 

Everything was finished a few minutes later. Marinette plated everything and brought it to the counter to eat with her Papa.

“So how did it go? what all does he want you to do,” Tom asked as he started eating. “This is really good hun.”

“Um.. it went really well. I’m making five gifts for his sons along with the suit for him. So I’m going to be really busy the next couple months because I also have to work on Jagged and Penny’s stuff. Plus all the orders I’ll get from my website, so I don’t know how much I’ll be able to help out in the bakery to get it all done when school starts up.”

“That’s fine hun. Just let us know, okay?”

The rest of lunch was finished in silence, and about half an hour later Tom went back downstairs to give his wife a break for lunch. Marinette filled her Maman a bowl of the bisque and made her a fresh sandwich to go along with it. As Sabine ate her lunch, Marinette proceeded to clean up, humming a song Luka had produced when he went solo from Kitty Section. After she finished cleaning, she grabbed some chocolate chip cookies, gave Sabine a kiss on the cheek and said she would be upstairs if they needed her for anything, hoping her Papa would fill her in on what was to come.

Heading upstairs, she closed the door to her attic bedroom. “Tik, I got you some cookies! They’re your favorite,” She sang waving them around, looking for the little goddess.

Tikki flew down from the lofted bed where she seemed to be watching something on the cushion Marinette had made for her. Waving her arms around, she squeaked out, “ooo, Mari! You spoil me so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She came and took one of the cookies from Mari’s hand and spun in a loop, excited.

  
All of a sudden, they heard an alarm sound out. Mari turned on the news to see where this Akuma was, so she could get there quickly. Nadja Chamack, the most known news anchor for Paris, appeared on the screen.

“This is Nadja Chamack reporting live from The Wayne Enterprise Tower. It looks like Hawkmoth has struck again…” Nadja kept reporting, but Mari knew where she needed to go.

She quickly looked to her kwami and let her finish her food, knowing she would need the energy. “Alright Tikki, spots on!” she yelled out, transforming into her red and black suit. She leaped out of the skylight and flung out her yo-yo heading towards the building she was at just earlier that day.

She was surprised to see Chat Noir already there, distracting a red and pink Akuma.  _ Looks like another love one... Great. Wonder who broke her heart.  _

“I will not be ignored Bruce Wayne! You will accept my proposal,” yelled out the villain, who had yet to give out her name.

“Oh c’mon Big Red, leave the big bad billionaire alone,” taunted Chat Noir. He jumped around, dodging the hearts she sent out from the crown on her head.

“I am Lover’s Lane! Do not call me Big Red!” She ran after the black cat. “Give me the miraculous and I will bring you your love too.”

Ladybug decided it was time to jump in. She swung her yo-yo around a light pole that the Akuma was heading towards. Lover’s Lane was tripped up by the string as the pole bent with them. 

“Nice move,” a deep voice sounded out behind her. “What can I help with?”

“AHHH,” Ladybug yelled out and ended up releasing the tension on the yo-yo. She turned around to see who had scared her half to death as she was on top of a roof and it was one of the harder ones to get on top of, compared to the others around Paris. She saw a hulking figure, dressed in black and gray armored suit and cape with what appeared to be a bat-like symbol of the chest. “Holy Batman.” 


	7. The Batman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block is terrible and family travels happen almost simultaneously.

**_RECAP:_ **

**_“Nice move,” a deep voice sounded out behind her. “What can I help with?”_ **

**_“AHHH,” Ladybug yelled out and ended up releasing the tension on the yo-yo. She turned around to see who had scared her half to death as she was on top of a roof and it was one of the harder ones to get on top of, compared to the others around Paris. She saw a hulking figure, dressed in black and gray armored suit and cape with what appeared to be a bat-like symbol of the chest. “Holy Batman.”_ **

Ladybug couldn’t believe it. There was no way he was really here. Media kept the entire situation contained to Paris, tourists weren’t believed as it sounded insane and no contact was made to the Justice League to ask for help.  _ How was he here? Why was Gotham’s main vigilante here? Wait… GOTHAM?! MR. WAYNE?!  _ She just looked at him in wide-eyed wonder. The dark knight seemed to have the same build, with extra padding of course. She had brought up the Hawkmoth problem in her emails so he would know from that. If Batman was Mr. Wayne… There was so much pressure on her designs now.  _ It was probably a good idea to add some bulletproofing to his suit anyway, he is a billionaire businessman that lives in the crime capital of the world.  _

All these thoughts flew through her mind in a matter of seconds. “Holy Batman… you’re Batman,” she repeated, still staring. 

“You’re Ladybug, yes,” the Dark Knight asked in perfect French, seeming to ignore her strange exclamation. Not that she doubted he could speak French, given her guess to who she thought he was. “What can I help with?”

“Oh. Um. Yes I’m Ladybug,” she stammered out riddled with nerves. “Um.. can you just watch for something that doesn’t belong on her? Chat and I will try to contain her here.”

Before he could respond Chat Noir yelled out, “M’Lady! A little help please!!!”

“Go. I’ll watch,” Batman all but pushed her towards Lover’s Lane and Chat Noir. 

Ladybug nodded her head in a daze and then swung off with determination to land on the street next to her partner, not that he was much of one at the moment, but he did have his days. Lover’s Lane looked like she jumped straight off a villain's Valentine’s Day card. All red and pink with black and white accented hearts. She had a black mask and her hair was shaped into a giant red heart, reminding the heroine of the red queen from  _ Alice in Wonderland.  _ Except hers has pale pink highlights running throughout it, which would’ve been cool if she wasn’t a villain or associated with one. 

“Anything useful, Chat,” asked the spotted hero. Ladybug swung her yo-yo around to redirect the red hearts with black tails from hitting them. “Do you know what those hearts do?”

Chat stood from where he had crouched behind her, “not much Bug. The hearts make minions like you would assume, make you go goo-goo over your love interest. However you don’t need me to be hit to be goo-goo for you.” 

“Not now, Chat,” Ladybug said. “Now dodge and weave. Keep her contained here. I have extra help watching.” Ladybug stopped twirling her desired weapon and jumped to the left, pushing Chat Noir to the right. 

“Wait! Who’s helping?”

“Focus Chat!”

Ladybug jumped up onto a car and swung the yo-yo to wrap around the villain. Tightly wrapping up the Lover’s Lane’s arms close to her body, making it almost impossible for her to shoot anymore hearts out. She heard a quiet  _ thud _ behind her, making her turn her head slightly to acknowledge them. 

“Surprised you could hear that. It’s the pen in her hair. She had it when she confessed to Mr. Bruce Wayne. It’s the only thing that is the same. Her name is Miss Laura Companos, receptionist on the third floor of the building. Public relations department,” Batman quietly told her, hiding in the shadows that didn’t help him hide much here in the City of Love.

Ladybug hid her smirk, more and more pieces to the puzzle were fitting together.  _ How did this man keep a secret identity with his blatant disregard to actually keeping it a secret? _ “And how would you know this Monsieur Batman?” She struggled to keep the string held taunt. “Chat! The pen! Get it!”

Chat was hopping around distracting the Akuma, keeping her from escaping too much. “On it M’lady!” Chat Noir quickly launched himself up towards her head, with his hand outstretched grabbing the gray pen. “Cataclysm.” He destroyed the pen, releasing the possessed butterfly. “Your turn bug!”

Ladybug quickly released her yo-yo, winding it back up to launch towards the butterfly. She caught it saying, “no more evil doing for you little akuma. Bye bye little butterfly.” She released the now white butterfly. Now to repair all the damage, she threw up the yo-yo yelling, “Miraculous ladybug!”

“That’s pretty nifty, Ladybug. Sure could use you in Gotham,” Batman mumbled to her. 

“Sorry. Miraculous caused damage, miraculous caused healing. Wouldn’t help unless I was there when the damage occurs anyway,” Ladybug told him. 

Chat Noir was comforting the victim, Miss Laura Companos, like Batman had said. Ladybug walked over to Chat as Laura was escorted to the hospital by the reaction team. “Hey LB I’m about to detransform, but can I talk to you at the tower around 9?”

He looked upset by something. “If this is another date attempt I’m going to leave, but I’ll meet you,” Ladybug said looking sceptical. 

“It’s not. Promise,” he said before he used his staff to launch himself away. 

She looked to where Batman last was and saw a small chalk arrow pointing up, she assumed the message was for her and that he was on the roof that they had happened to meet on. Reporters started to converge as she was still standing out on the sidewalk. She dodged them and their questions with a quick, “sorry, bug out.” She did a little two-fingered sauté and launched herself upwards over the buildings ledge, trying to remain hidden from the reporters but in view of the vigilante in case he wasn’t on the roof. 

Ladybug sat down near the roof access door, where there seemed to be the most shadows.  _ This man really sticks to his trademark, huh? Time to play his little game. “ _ So… how’d you hear about what’s happening in Paris? Or at least know to bring the suit,” she asked out in the open as she couldn’t seem to find him but knew he was there. 

Soft footsteps sounded to her right but she didn’t pay them any attention. “I had some business to take care of here and it had been brought to my attention by an unknowing party,” Batman told her before sitting with her, legs outstretched in front of his body compared to hers being folded under her. 

“How are you expecting to help? Like what’s your plan here? I can’t have the justice league here destroying all the progress I’ve already made. Plus that’d be a nightmare to have to fight them if they got akumatized. It’s already bad enough with regular people.” She looked up at him, the size difference between the two was staggering, playing with the little rocks knocked loose from the constant use of the roof. 

“Anyway I can. Do you have an idea of who this Hawkmoth is? My team can do remote coverage for you. Look into your suspects background or for more information. We don’t have to be in the city to help,” he told her matter of factly. 

“That’d be great. I have to get going soon, maybe we can meet up and hash out the details. How long will you be here in Paris?”

Batman just looked her over, seemingly trying to figure her out. “For a little over a week before I have to head back.”

“Alright,” she said slowly standing up. “We’ll have to meet up later. Would you be able to meet me here at 10 tomorrow night?”

“Yes. That’ll be fine. I’ll have my part of my team on a call so we can get all the information done at once, so nothing is wrong. Is that okay?” Batman stood with her, then leaned against a waist level wall.

“Yeah, whatever works the best. Do they speak french or do we need to talk in English? I’m not completely fluent but it’s pretty good.”

“French is fine Ladybug. They all know multiple languages,” Batman told her. 

Ladybug wondered who his team members were. Based on what she knew, they all started fairly young and popped up shortly after Bruce Wayne came out with another adopted son, so maybe they had made it into a family business type thing.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow night then. I’ll try to bring Chat Noir as well, just so he’s updated. But I can’t be positive he’ll stay and listen or if he’ll even show up.”

Ladybug swung off into the distance after their goodbyes and assurance to be there the following night. She swung around for about 45 minutes to make sure she wasn’t being followed by the bat and went about stopping small crimes and letting police know what was going on and where.


	8. The Magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the long wait and not super long chapter that this is! I promise the next update will be soon and will be longer.

Once home, she dropped down through the rooftop hatch into her bedroom and de-transformed. She had several hours until her meeting with Chat Noir and there was no telling how that would end up going.

“Tikki? What do you think Chat Noir wants to talk about? I mean he was less flirty and pushy and he actually helped, but he seemed very serious. More so than how he has been lately,” Marinette asked the mini deity. 

“Who knows Marinette. He did seem more focused today though,” answered Tikki. “Maybe something happened to him.”

“Yeah maybe Teeks. Maybe.”

Marinette thought quietly to herself of all the possibilities of what Chat Noir wanted to talk about as she brought out her designs and the fabric for Monsieur Waynes suit as it would be easier to make while he was still in town.  _ Oh God, Batman would be wearing her designs. There was pressure before but now a hero, one of the big three, would wear something she made. It was an honor of course but mon dieu, it had to be good.  _

“Hey Teek, should I call Monsieur Wayne and ask him about the changes to the material of the suit or leave it to be a surprise? Kevlar is good, but it doesn’t move and flow like it would have to in a suit. I guess I could try out that fabric we’ve been messing with.” Marinette paced the bottom floor of her attic bedroom thinking aloud to one of the beings who she adored and revered. 

“Which fabric are you thinking of? The knife one or the color shifting one?” Tikki sat on her cushion watching her chosen fret about the room.

“I forgot about the color shifting one! But no. I’m thinking about the Knife resistant one that we’ve been experimenting with. But I know Monsieur Wayne doesn’t like magic, but then again he is here and willing to help. And I know there are magicians within the League so he can’t be too against it right? But then again it’s been said that Batman doesn’t like Green Lantern and we’re the most like him, so he might not like us that much.”

“Mari, Marinette, calm down, calm down my little bug. We won’t know how he feels until we ask him or he tells us. However, he offered to help and didn’t seem to mind talking to you so I think it’s fine. Besides, it’ll be fun as a surprise!“

“Right, right, you’re right. I know you’re right. It’s just a little intimidating, huh?” Marinette stopped pacing around the room to look at the kwami, “So should we try it with the knife resistant fabric? We have almost perfected it, maybe with a little more luck and creation magic we can get it figured out. “

“Of course! If we can’t get the fabric fully resistant we can place more magic into the full garment when it’s done. It should work just as much as if you did just the fabric, maybe even better since it’ll include all the things included like the stitching and pockets,” Tikki told her fluttering into her face.

Marinette laughed at her and gently pushed her out of her face, she moved over to one of the bags and started pulling out the fabric needed for the suit. She brought out her sketchbook and flipped to the pages with what she now called “The Bruce Wayne Suit.” She also brought out the list of his measurements and rewrote them on the page adjacent to the design. She laid the fabric on her work desk and started measuring and making marks with fabric chalk where she needed to cut. Before each cut was made she measured again. She lived by the typical measure twice cut once rule that most builders did. She sat in the stereotypical meditation pose on the fluffy white rug in the middle of the room and placed the main dark navy blue cotton fabric for the body of the suit jacket and pants across her lap, hands loosely holding the edges farthest from her. .It was more fabric than the other garments would need so it would take more time to pulse creation magic into it. More time to weave the fibers tightly together to make it more resistant to knives and other objects that might cause harm. 

It took half an hour for Marinette to feel like she put enough magic into each piece of cut fabric. She tested it by pulling as hard as she could and taking a small knife she kept handy to a small area that would be sewn over or cut off. As she was still learning and perfecting the type of magic she used, she was exhausted and hungry. The energy she once had was used up by focusing it into the fabric for the suit. She fell backwards onto the floor with a huff, arms thrown out to her sides with her sparkling bluebell eyes closed. 

Tikki flew over and landed on Marinette’s forehead. Marinette opened her eyes and gave a little laugh. Tikki leaned over her right eye and tapped the bridge of her nose, “You did very well Marinette! You lasted longer than most users do when channeling that much magic through them into something. One of my first chosens passed out twenty minutes into creating a new type of salamander, it’s why we have newts! He wanted to create one that relied more on dry land. Newts are like toxic lizard frog things. It was a very interesting time when those started roaming around ponds and swamps.” 

Marinette suddenly sat up, throwing off Tikki by accident, “that can happen?! So if I wanted to make or mess with an animal's biology I could, and that if I pass out it could still become viable and live even if it’s incomplete?”

Tikki giggled as she answered, “Well, yeah! Most things invented were created by accident. Didn’t you know that? Not all creations are magical or on purpose. Penicillin, potato chips, fireworks, post-it notes, and my favorite, chocolate chip cookies we’re all created trying to make something else!” 

Marinette sat stunned, she could accidentally create a new life by accident.  _ Granted a lot of people alive were not planned, but she could create something totally new. It was a lot to take in.  _

“Okay. Let’s shelve that until later, huh? I need to eat something and we’ll take a little nap before we eat dinner and meet up with Chat Noir. What do you think, Tikki?” Marinette started to stand up and gently folded up the fabric nicely and set it on her work desk to continue working on it later. 

Tikki went over to her pillow nest, “that sounds like a wonderful idea. Um.. can you bring me some cookies or sweets?”

“Sure thing! Want me to make it a surprise or just the usual?” 

“Ooo can I have something different? You can surprise me!” Tikki exclaimed, vibrating a little bit in excitement. 

Marinette nodded her head as she went down the stairs to the main area of their apartment. She went into the kitchen and grabbed a small serving of quiche Lorraine that was made fresh that morning, as well as a couple rosewater and pistachio Madeleines that they were testing out recipes for. She heated up the quiche quickly and stacked everything up on a plate and headed back up the stairs to her bedroom after listening for the sounds of her parents tinkering downstairs first. After Tikki and her ate their late lunch, Marinette settled down for a nap on her chaise lounge in a comfy pair of shorts and t-shirt. 


End file.
